Epilogue
Milo
Eight months later
“Do you think I could put professional falconer on my resume?” Milo asked as they gently combed their fingers through Ruben’s feathers.
Ruben didn’t even bother opening his eyes, but Ray at least gave a supportive meow, and Rowan smiled that small smile.
Milo was currently sitting on—more like being swallowed up by—the large bean bag chair they’d bought for Rowan’s apartment. Thus far, they were the only one who used it, but given that Ruben was sitting on their lap in the bean bag chair, they were going to count it as a win.
This hadn’t been their only addition to Rowan’s house when they moved in.
They’d also brought their junk chair, cardboard box table, and three counter chairs.
The junk chair was still covered in Anabelle’s clothing but more purposefully now, as they had more than enough room in Rowan’s walk-in closet to store everything.
The box table had been used to pack up and bring over some of Milo’s clothes, but before they could take it out to the recycling, Rowan had set it next to the junk chair in the corner of their room and carefully placed the plywood back on top of it.
Thus far, Milo had refused Rowan's offers to buy a fourth matching chair to round out Milo’s set.
They’d always had three chairs, first for themself, Anabelle, and Ethel, and then for Ethel and Ray.
It was hard to explain that, for a long time, they had thought they were only ever allowed to have two important people in their lives.
Nowadays, they would need a whole army of tall chairs to accommodate everyone, but they still couldn’t help but hold on tight to Ethel and Ray.
As if he could tell Milo was thinking about him, Ray let out another, much louder meow and stretched across Rowan’s lap, digging his claws into Rowan’s jeans.
Even just a few months ago, Milo never would have imagined their life would turn out this way, but here they all were.
Because of how much Ruben traveled during recruitment season, Ray had insisted on keeping his apartment so he could be close to Milo when Ruben was away.
That worked out great for Milo, until Rowan spent one too many nights in Milo’s cramped apartment, running into Milo in the kitchen and hitting his head on the low shower head.
“Baby, I have a proposition,” Rowan had said one night, and Milo’s pony had nearly rolled over and displayed their scent gland.
Ever since Rowan scented them at his family’s house, their pony was ready to mate at any moment.
Milo liked the slow pace they were taking, but that didn’t stop their heart from racing as they waited for Rowan to continue.
“I’ve talked it over with Ruben already, and he’s really not all that attached to his apartment.
He’s going to check with Ray first, but what if all three of you move into my place?
I mean my apartment building, not my actual apartment.
Except you, of course. You’re welcome—I mean, I would love it if you moved in with me, and Ray and Ruben moved into the building as well,” Rowan said, his cheeks the prettiest rosy pink Milo had ever seen.
Of course, Milo and Ray had agreed to move in, and by the time Rowan and Milo passed the four-month mark in their relationship, they all lived on the same floor of Rowan’s building.
“Do you want your ears scrat—oh, okay, yup I got it,” Rowan said, laughing as Ray pressed his ear into Rowan’s hand and purred so loudly, Milo could hear it across the room.
About a week into living together, Milo had been holding Ray in his shifted form on their couch, petting his ears just like that, when Rowan walked in. “You know,” he said, his fingers flexing at his side. “I’ve sort of always wanted a cat.”
In a fit of excitement, Milo had thrust Ray at him. “Oh my gods, I would absolutely love a cat. We can practice with Ray!”
Ray had yowled, kicking his back feet in excitement, which had done little to encourage Rowan to hold him.
It had taken several weeks of coaxing, but about two weeks ago, Rowan had finally let Ray climb onto his lap.
They’d been working their way up to head and back pats, and now it seemed like Rowan was ready for ear scritches.
Not one to ever miss out on fun, the same day Ruben found out about Ray and Rowan’s plan, he’d shifted into his hawk form and landed on Milo’s shoulder, demanding to be carried around the apartment the rest of the evening.
When they went to the shifter park with Raina and Troy the following weekend, both Ruben and Ray had climbed onto the back of Milo’s pony and rode around on them for the better part of the afternoon.
The Rangecroft cuddling wasn’t limited only to Ruben or only when they were shifted.
Raina was a champion cuddler, and she had started showing up at Rowan’s apartment to flop down on the couch with Milo and watch movies or curl up on Ruben and Ray’s couch and listen to Ruben practice cello.
Milo had yet to convince Ruben to play for Rowan’s hawk, but it was still on Milo’s bucket list, given how much Rowan’s hawk seemed to like dancing.
There were several other things on Milo’s bucket list, and they were pretty hopeful they’d be crossing off another item today.
They just had to wait for their lovely in-laws to vacate the premises.
Milo’s pony gave an impatient whinny, and Milo shushed them.
They were grateful every second of every day for how full their life was now.
Never in their wildest dreams had they thought that less than two years after losing Anabelle, they would have a beautiful family of their own.
They really should bask in this moment of connection with Ruben and appreciate every small step Rowan was taking to get closer to his family and closer to the life he wanted, including touch, but also building a life with—
“So, today is actually our nine-month anniversary,” Milo found themself saying. Their pony stomped their foot, and Milo sighed internally.
Even if they were secretly grateful for the nudge.
They expertly maneuvered their jean jacket-covered arm under Ruben’s talons and hoisted him into the air as they stood up.
“I know that we’re just so generous for spending our monthaversary with you two, and it has been such a lovely day, truly, I cherish you both, but alas, it's time for you to go.”
Milo gently placed Ruben down on the couch, avoiding his beady-eyed glare. “Come along, Ray,” they called, and after some angry-kitten glares, Ray stretched again before jumping from Rowan’s legs to the couch. He sauntered across it, flicking his tail at Milo, before settling down next to Ruben.
They immediately started grooming each other, and Milo sighed, externally this time. They grabbed one of their many throw blankets—also one of their additions to the apartment—and held it up in front of them.
Milo swore they heard Rowan chuckle, and when they glanced at him, he was wearing that small smile and pointedly avoiding eye contact.
It took a little more coaxing and a few gentle threats, which escalated into absurdity, until finally Ray and Ruben were back in their human skins and clothes, walking their human behinds out the door.
“Have a good night!” Ray said, a twinkle in his eye because he knew exactly what Milo was planning.
“You kids stay out of trouble, you hear?” Ruben said, with an equally knowing look on his face, which was…interesting. Milo had sworn Ray to secrecy, more so out of mild embarrassment than anything else, and he would never break that trust.
“So,” Rowan said as soon as the front door shut. He crossed his arms over his broad chest, stretching his Henley and making Milo’s toes curl in their fuzzy socks. “You remembered it was our nine-month anniversary, too?”
“Of course I did,” Milo said, bouncing up onto their toes. “I didn’t say anything when you scheduled a double-dinner-and-snuggle date for us because…well, you know how much I love those.”
Almost as much as they loved Rowan.
“I know you do, baby. That’s why I wanted it to be part of today’s plan.”
“Oh, wait, you…have a plan? For today?” Milo asked, falling back down onto the balls of their feet.
Rowan walked across the room, stopping mere inches in front of Milo. “I do, yes.”
Milo’s hands found the bottom of their jacket and tugged. “Does it also involve us trying out our new sex swing?”
Rowan’s eyes rounded, and his heart stuttered a beat. Milo had been getting better at picking it out from all the other ambient noise in the apartment, and now they could almost always hear it.
Like, right now? It was beating faster as Rowan coughed and cleared his throat. “Our…what?”
Milo grinned, almost as wide as their pony, as they pivoted on their heel and skipped off to the bedroom, scooping the instruction manual up off the dresser.
With Ray’s help, Milo had been able to get Rowan to leave the house before their dinner date, and together, Ray and Milo had managed to put the complicated contraption together.
Everything except for—
“Ta-da!” Milo shouted as Rowan peeked his head in around the door jam.
His mouth fell open, but no sound escaped, obviously too overwhelmed with joy to say anything.
“Ray and I built it while you were gone! Once we figured out how to read all the tiny diagrams, it was a piece of cake—except for these ten screws,” Milo said.
They shook the plastic bag full of screws, which Ray had stapled to the instructions “just in case you ever need them again.”
“It’s…missing ten screws?” Rowan asked, cautiously stepping into the room like he was afraid the swing was going to get up and bite him.
“No, just six. It said it came with four extras, but I seriously can’t believe we would somehow miss six screws, so I’m sure these are extra, too.”
Rowan stared at the swing, almost imperceptibly shaking his head.
“Do you…not like it?”